19 Audemars Piguet Very Rare and Sought After, Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetual Wristwatch, in Steel, Precious Anthracite Dial, Reference 25654 ST, With Box, Papers, Service and Additional Dial
Estimate: €100,000 – 200,000
Sold (Premium)€221,000
Model: Quantieme Perpetuel
Reference: 25654
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Bracelet Material: Stainless Steel
Year: 1990
Movement: Manual
Caliber: 2120/2800
Case N°: C-19659
Movement N°: 286202
Dimensions: 39 mm
Signed: Dial, movement and case
Accessories: Box, Papers and Additional Dial
The Royal Oak was launched in 1972 after Gerald Genta delivered his innovative design for a stainless steel sports watch to Audemars Piguet. Fast-forward five decades and the luxury sports watch has taken numerous forms, from a time-only watch to examples with open worked dials that reveal tourbillon movements or the incredibly sought after today Quantieme Perpetual, such as the lot here offered. The reference 25654 is one of the most appreciated references within the pre-leap years 2120/2800 Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars. Between 1982 and 1993, but not offer for sale until 1998, AP would create some 800 examples of the 25654, including 422 in yellow gold, 72 in two-tone, 33 in platinum, one in white gold and 272 in steel like the present specimen. The present watch belongs to the successor reference: the 25654 which shares the same aesthetic but fixed the waterproof problem of its predecessor thanks to a thicker case. This beauty is proposing for many of the best of both worlds: a true complication encased in a design masterpiece 39 mm sports watch. Many were the variants offered of the dial but the present one is possibly one of the rarest and appreciated of them all: smooth black/dark anthracite dial with no tapisserie and MK2 lettering, original needle hands for hours/minutes and steel small hands for subsidiary registers. This very watch was produced with a silvered dial, with which is still offered, and under the special request of the previous owner Audemars Piguet equipped it with the black one that surely gives more audacity and present, despite the absolute rarity of this unusual version.